Cupcake Extravaganza
Andrew's (the husband), birthday is coming up in two weeks. So we've been pondering what to do for him. We've thought about going to a restaurant vs hosting at home. Grilling vs getting dishes and throwing them in chafing containers. Etc.
Ultimately, we decided to host so our friend's children could come and run wild, and probably get stuff from a place to cater so Andrew can visit with friends and neither of us are stuck at the grill. Then it came down to cake stuff. I'm an okay baker. I'm sure given time, I could work better at my presentation etc. But other than the cake disaster of '07, I haven't really had a cake-tastrophe of epic proportions. I like baking over buying only because it makes it more personal to me. Someone bakes you a cake because they care. It takes time and energy and only special people get home-made cake.
Don't believe me? Here is some proof:
Cake Disaster of '07: (I don't know what I was thinking)
Improved Caking two years later:
Here comes the conversation that ensues:
Me: "Hey, what flavor cake shall I make for your birthday?"
Andrew: "Um.. I dunno. Hey, what if we make cake pops of a few different flavors?"
(I start researching recipes and methods)
Me: "Um, cake pops look like a LOT of effort"
Andrew: "Okay, how about cupcakes?"
Me: "Well, it's your birthday. I'll start researching recipes and maybe we can do a test run this weekend."
So, I set to searching out the 70+ cupcake recipes on Epicurious.com, printing out likely candidates and then started baking. I took the cupcakes to a friend's game night last night, and used the guests there as my test subjects seeking feedback. Unfortunately, I didn't really take any pictures. I should have. They weren't all that pretty, but really I was going for texture and taste... the look can always be improved on.
Here's what got made:
1. DEVIL'S FOOD WITH LAVENDER AND SALTED CHOCOLATE-ORANGE BUTTER CREAM
I have made this recipe before. It's the chocolate cake pictured above. It's a very dense and rich cake. The lavender in the cake batter add an interesting twist to the chocolate, and the salt in the chocolate orange butter cream frosting is what totally makes it. While it requires a little extra effort to make, it's worth it. My friend Or usually asks for it for his birthday. His wife Rose starts salivating at the slightest hint that the frosting is going to be made despite her allergies to dairy.
For the cupcake version, I learned how to make my own candied orange slices and garnished the top with them. IMO, the cupcake version might even be better than the cake due to how rich it is. You just have to watch your bake time so you don't dry anything out. Both Rose and Or lobbied hard to have this one make the cut.
2. RED VELVET CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND FRESH BERRIES.
This was a cupcake version of the above cake. Top garnished with fresh berries. While it tasted okay... there was nothing AMAZING about it. I might have overcooked the cake slightly as it was a little on the dry side and not as fluffy as I would have liked.
3. VANILLA BEAN-COCONUT CUPCAKES WITH COCONUT FROSTING
Andrew sampled this and blurted out "God DAMN that's good!" So, I'm guessing this one is going to make the cut. The reduced coconut milk in this recipe helped keep the cake light and moist. I garnished the top with lightly toasted coconut flakes. I would like a little more vanilla kick to it, so I'm going to go all out an use actual vanilla bean in addition. Also will probably try to get more of Rose's home-made vanilla extract made from the beans and whisky.
4. CARROT CUPCAKES WITH ORANGE ICING
This got rave reviews on Epicurious. Per the suggestions of the other cooks online, I dropped the oil to only 1/2C and added 1/4c of apple sauce. While the batter appeared thin going into the oven, it thickened perfectly. I garnished the top with home-made candied carrot curls. I loved this cupcake and it was my favorite by far. The orange icing was a perfect compliment, and the cake was deliciously spiced.
5. KEY LIME CUPCAKES
These were also pretty delicious. Light and fluffy. The food dye I should have done without. I garnished with my own candied lime slices.
6. BANANA CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
Again, delicious and seemed to go well for the crowd. Per Epicurious suggestion, I added a little spice. The over-ripe banana was PERFECT for this. I would recommend the cupcake even without the icing straight out of the oven. Andrew suggested adding a grape jelly dollop to the center of these for a banana, PB&J version. The frosting was fluffy and I garnished with some chopped up lightly toasted and salted peanuts.
7. GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
These were pretty good. The frosting was a little runny and I wish I had had more time to set it. I garnished the top with some candied ginger chopped up and a slice of candied lemon slices. Or liked these as his second favorite. I thought they were pretty good, but not my ultimate favorite.
8. LEMON RASPBERRY CUPCAKES
These were delicious but messy. I garnished the top with lemon-raspberry icing and a fresh raspberry on top. The middle had a dollop of seedless raspberry jelly. The cake was fluffy and light. The batter over-flowed a bit and kinda made a mess of things. But still, good to eat.
The winners for 2 wks from now are: #1, 3 and 4.
The five flavors I didn't get around to making but perhaps want to try:
A. CINNAMON-SCENTED DEVIL'S FOOD WITH ALMOND FROSTING
B. ORANGE-CARDAMOM CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA FROSTING
C. GLUTEN FREE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY MERINGUE
D. PUMPKIN PIE CUPCAKES
E. HOT CHOCOLATE AND GRAND MARNIER CUPCAKES BY CHEF LUDO LEFEBVRE
Ultimately, we decided to host so our friend's children could come and run wild, and probably get stuff from a place to cater so Andrew can visit with friends and neither of us are stuck at the grill. Then it came down to cake stuff. I'm an okay baker. I'm sure given time, I could work better at my presentation etc. But other than the cake disaster of '07, I haven't really had a cake-tastrophe of epic proportions. I like baking over buying only because it makes it more personal to me. Someone bakes you a cake because they care. It takes time and energy and only special people get home-made cake.
Don't believe me? Here is some proof:
Cake Disaster of '07: (I don't know what I was thinking)
Improved Caking two years later:
Here comes the conversation that ensues:
Me: "Hey, what flavor cake shall I make for your birthday?"
Andrew: "Um.. I dunno. Hey, what if we make cake pops of a few different flavors?"
(I start researching recipes and methods)
Me: "Um, cake pops look like a LOT of effort"
Andrew: "Okay, how about cupcakes?"
Me: "Well, it's your birthday. I'll start researching recipes and maybe we can do a test run this weekend."
So, I set to searching out the 70+ cupcake recipes on Epicurious.com, printing out likely candidates and then started baking. I took the cupcakes to a friend's game night last night, and used the guests there as my test subjects seeking feedback. Unfortunately, I didn't really take any pictures. I should have. They weren't all that pretty, but really I was going for texture and taste... the look can always be improved on.
Here's what got made:
1. DEVIL'S FOOD WITH LAVENDER AND SALTED CHOCOLATE-ORANGE BUTTER CREAM
I have made this recipe before. It's the chocolate cake pictured above. It's a very dense and rich cake. The lavender in the cake batter add an interesting twist to the chocolate, and the salt in the chocolate orange butter cream frosting is what totally makes it. While it requires a little extra effort to make, it's worth it. My friend Or usually asks for it for his birthday. His wife Rose starts salivating at the slightest hint that the frosting is going to be made despite her allergies to dairy.
For the cupcake version, I learned how to make my own candied orange slices and garnished the top with them. IMO, the cupcake version might even be better than the cake due to how rich it is. You just have to watch your bake time so you don't dry anything out. Both Rose and Or lobbied hard to have this one make the cut.
2. RED VELVET CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND FRESH BERRIES.
This was a cupcake version of the above cake. Top garnished with fresh berries. While it tasted okay... there was nothing AMAZING about it. I might have overcooked the cake slightly as it was a little on the dry side and not as fluffy as I would have liked.
3. VANILLA BEAN-COCONUT CUPCAKES WITH COCONUT FROSTING
Andrew sampled this and blurted out "God DAMN that's good!" So, I'm guessing this one is going to make the cut. The reduced coconut milk in this recipe helped keep the cake light and moist. I garnished the top with lightly toasted coconut flakes. I would like a little more vanilla kick to it, so I'm going to go all out an use actual vanilla bean in addition. Also will probably try to get more of Rose's home-made vanilla extract made from the beans and whisky.
4. CARROT CUPCAKES WITH ORANGE ICING
This got rave reviews on Epicurious. Per the suggestions of the other cooks online, I dropped the oil to only 1/2C and added 1/4c of apple sauce. While the batter appeared thin going into the oven, it thickened perfectly. I garnished the top with home-made candied carrot curls. I loved this cupcake and it was my favorite by far. The orange icing was a perfect compliment, and the cake was deliciously spiced.
5. KEY LIME CUPCAKES
These were also pretty delicious. Light and fluffy. The food dye I should have done without. I garnished with my own candied lime slices.
6. BANANA CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
Again, delicious and seemed to go well for the crowd. Per Epicurious suggestion, I added a little spice. The over-ripe banana was PERFECT for this. I would recommend the cupcake even without the icing straight out of the oven. Andrew suggested adding a grape jelly dollop to the center of these for a banana, PB&J version. The frosting was fluffy and I garnished with some chopped up lightly toasted and salted peanuts.
7. GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
These were pretty good. The frosting was a little runny and I wish I had had more time to set it. I garnished the top with some candied ginger chopped up and a slice of candied lemon slices. Or liked these as his second favorite. I thought they were pretty good, but not my ultimate favorite.
8. LEMON RASPBERRY CUPCAKES
These were delicious but messy. I garnished the top with lemon-raspberry icing and a fresh raspberry on top. The middle had a dollop of seedless raspberry jelly. The cake was fluffy and light. The batter over-flowed a bit and kinda made a mess of things. But still, good to eat.
The winners for 2 wks from now are: #1, 3 and 4.
The five flavors I didn't get around to making but perhaps want to try:
A. CINNAMON-SCENTED DEVIL'S FOOD WITH ALMOND FROSTING
B. ORANGE-CARDAMOM CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA FROSTING
C. GLUTEN FREE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY MERINGUE
D. PUMPKIN PIE CUPCAKES
E. HOT CHOCOLATE AND GRAND MARNIER CUPCAKES BY CHEF LUDO LEFEBVRE